The Last of the Four
by Lillian Evans
Summary: Remus looks at his life from the time he was bitten to just after OotP...OotP Spoilers. Something tells me I'm rather stuck on this story. So it may be quite some time before I update again.
1. Prologue

The Last of the Four- prologue By Lillian Evans  
  
Remus Lupin sighed as he climbed the stairs to his shabby two-room apartment in downtown London. Once again, his thoughts had come around to Sirius, and once again, he was feeling very depressed because of it. He took out his key, and was about to open the door when his neighbor called down the hall to him.  
"Oy, Remus, ought to be a nice night out tonight, eh? Full moon and hardly any cloud cover!" Remus nodded politely and turned the key. Dorothy stuck her head back inside her door and Remus entered the apartment. Dorothy was one of the nicest people he knew, with the exception that she was very nosy. She had often confronted him about his illness, knowing that something was wrong with him, but he would never confess. Dorothy was a muggle, and Remus knew that he would have to find another apartment if she found out he was a werewolf, and Remus just couldn't afford to do that now.  
He put his package on the table and lit the lamps in the room with his wand. He had electricity in the apartment, but preferred to only use it when he was in the company of muggles, which wasn't too often. He walked over to the window and drew apart the curtains, letting the morning light into the room. There, that will help brighten things up, he thought as he gazed at the muggle street below, busy with the hustle and bustle of the usual morning traffic jams. The busy muggle street, that was a familiar setting for a time he didn't want to remember. He sat down onto the sagging sofa that was all he could afford until the Ministry of Magic passed some new laws on werewolf rights, which didn't appear to be happening soon, and he could find work again.  
As he sat there he heard the sounds of muggles driving to and from work, innocent and naïve to the troubles currently being looked after in the wizarding world. He remembered the morning after Lily and James had been killed, the morning that had changed his outlook on life. It was so far away, but yet still vivid in his memory. Just as vivid as the day he first met Sirius, James and Peter on the Hogwarts Express when he was just starting at Hogwarts. But the greatest of his troubles, what gained instant priority in his mind after what Dorothy had told him went back to when he was only three years old, and was playing on the little swing set his parents had bought him for his birthday. It had been dark out, and he had been sitting on the swing looking at the full moon. He had always loved the full moon as a boy, and had waited anxiously each month for the one night his parents would allow him to stay awake long enough to see the moon.  
This particular night, he had been sitting on his swing, just near the forest, when all of a sudden a massive hairy thing had jumped out of the forest and bitten him on the arm. He shrieked with pain, terrified, until his parents came out and discovered him, lying on the ground. His mother had been very worried, but his father stayed calm, and they rushed him to St. Mungo's. Ten minutes later, the healers had diagnosed it as a werewolf bite, and from that night on, Remus had no longer loved the full moon.  
  
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A/N: Well, that's it for now, soon to come: Remus looks back upon his years at Hogwarts, from the time when he met the other Marauders.different than most fics.please review! 


	2. The First Meeting

The Last of the Four- Chapter 1 The First Meeting By Lillian Evans  
  
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"But Mum, if I run straight at the barrier, two things will happen, first, I'll make a fool of myself, second, I'll get hurt. We need to find platform 9¾, not run into walls."  
"I'm telling you Remus, if you run at the barrier, it will take you to 9¾. Now hurry! We don't want to miss the train!"  
Remus Lupin was 11 years old, and was standing with his school trunk about ten feet away from the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 at Kings Cross Station. His mother was telling him to run at the barrier, and he was thinking it was a very foolish idea indeed. Just then, two boys, both with untidy black hair ran past him with their carts, knocking him over.  
"Get out of the way, stupid, we're about to miss our train!"  
Remus watched the boys running towards the barrier, but he blinked and they disappeared.  
"See, Remus, dear, those two boys just ran through the barrier and they weren't hurt! Now, let's go, the Hogwarts Express is always prompt, and we only have 3 minutes until 11:00."  
Remus grumbled and got to his feet. He didn't like the idea of going to the same school as those boys, but he didn't have much of a choice. No other wizarding school would accept him. That's why his parents had moved to London, so that they would be in the vicinity of Hogwarts, because the new headmaster, Albus Dumbledore was allowing werewolves and vampires to enter the school, as well as muggle borns and others.  
And so, with his heart thumping, and he himself thinking what a stupid idea it was, he turned his cart toward the barrier and began to walk towards it. The next thing he knew, he had entered a whole new platform, with a scarlet steam engine in front of him, blowing its whistle. He looked over his shoulder at the solid wall behind him just in time to see his mother appear out of nowhere.  
"Remus, why are you dawdling? Get on the train! It's about to leave!" She hustled him toward one of the doors. "Have a good year now, and don't get into too much trouble! If you need anything, just owl me and I'll send it along to you. I love you sweetie, and don't worry, you'll be fine!" She kissed him on the cheek.  
"Love you too Mum, bye!" Remus replied to his mother as he climbed onto the train and wiped the lipstick off of his cheek. He walked down the corridor until he reached an empty compartment, where he stowed his trunk and sat down. He was extremely tired, since the full moon had been less than a week ago, and he still hadn't fully recovered the lack of the night's sleep, so he was just about to close his eyes, when a knock on the compartment door brought him abruptly back to reality.  
"Sorry to bother you, but everywhere else is full, do you mind if I sit here? I'm Peter by the way, Peter Pettigrew."  
"Of course not, go right ahead! I'm Remus Lupin."  
They spent the next fifteen minutes discussing which house they would like to be in, and they both agreed that Gryffindor would be best, although they would probably land themselves in Hufflepuff.  
After the discussion had died down, and Peter had taken out his exploding snap cards ("You want to play?") the two black haired boys from the platform ran by the compartment, but when they caught sight of Peter and Remus, they stopped, and backtracked with malicious looking grins on their faces.  
"Hey, James! Look who it is! It's Peter! And look, he's got a friend with him! Aren't you that kid from King's Cross who was too scared to get onto the platform? Did your mommy finally convince you that it was safe? Tell me, how much did Peter have to pay you to be his friend? One galleon or two? Or did he break his own record and give you 5?"  
"Actually, I wasn't paid at all. I'm sure that if you took the time to get to know him, you'd see that Peter is a very nice person. Now, we were just about to start a game of exploding snap, if you'll excuse us. Peter, I think I'll deal."  
"Fine, but you haven't heard the last of us yet," said the boy called James with another grin. "You'll find you don't want to get on our bad side."  
And with a swish of their robes, they left and walked down the hall.  
"They'll be in Slytherin for sure," grimaced Peter as Remus dealt the cards. "But at least we won't have to deal with them in Gryffindor!"  
Remus smiled and looked at his cards. Precisely twenty games later, they pulled into Hogsmeade station. 


	3. Two Muggle Borns and the Sorting

The Last of the Four- Chapter 2 Two Muggle borns and a Sorting Hat By Lillian Evans  
  
As soon as Remus stepped onto the platform, the first thing he saw was a shaggy black head poking above the heads of the students, and the first thing he heard was a deep gruff voice calling over the other noise.  
"Firs' years, this way!"  
Remus glanced over at Peter and they headed slowly towards the man, stopping at the edge of a large lake, where twenty or so boats stood in the black water.  
"Now, you all are goin' across the lake. It's only first years, so enjoy the experience and be sure to introduce yourself to the Giant Squid. Don' look so scared, he's never hurt no one. Now climb in, four to a boat."  
Remus climbed into the nearest boat, where he was shortly joined by Peter, and two girls, a red head and a blonde. The red haired girl introduced herself as Lily Evans, the blonde as Ashley Kemp. Both girls turned out to be muggleborn.  
"Don't worry," Remus told them, "we don't hate muggleborns, that would be the Slytherins."  
"But we haven't been sorted yet, so how- " Lily began, but Peter cut her off.  
"If they put us in Slytherin, we've both decided we'd probably leave. We couldn't stand to be around any of them for long periods of time."  
Lily and Ashley laughed. "So, what house do you want to be in?" Ashley asked, looking at Remus rather than Peter.  
"Well, Gryffindor would be nice, but knowing my grades, Hufflepuff is much more of a realistic goal." Peter piped up immediately.  
"I'm not sure," said Remus, "of course Gryffindor would be terrific, but I wouldn't complain if I were put in Ravenclaw." He smiled at Ashley, who blushed.  
"I don't know very much about any of the houses." She admitted, "but from what I've heard, Gryffindor sounds the best."  
"I'd take anything, I'm just happy I'm here and not at home with my sister. She's dreadful. She nearly strangled me when I got my letter." Lily said with a shudder.  
Ashley put her arm around Lily, who was beginning to look forlorn. "It's alright, Petunia is was back in London. You don't have to see her for a year. Her sister isn't a fan of anything abnormal." Ashley added to Remus and Peter.  
"Ooh!" Lily suddenly exclaimed, looking around her. They had just passed through a curtain of vines, and an elaborate door was in front of them. The giant man got out of his boat and knocked loudly three tiems on the great wooden door. Shortly, a prim looking witch wearing emerald robes opened the doors, her thin lips forming a smile when she saw the students.  
"Thank you, Hagrid," she told the man, before turning to the awaiting students in the boats. "Welcome to Hogwarts! I do hope you have all had a pleasant journey." A few students nodded their heads, and she continued. "My name if Professor McGonagall, and very shortly, I will be taking you upstairs into the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into one of the four houses. Many of you have traits that would probably fit several houses, but we'll find the perfect house! Now, if you'll follow me please, we'll begin."  
She lead the way up a long staircase and down a corridor as students climbed out of the boats. Remus stuck with Peter, Ashley and Lily, and the girls gasped as the doors opened to reveal a beautiful hall brightly lit by floating candles and stars on the ceiling. Professor McGonagall left for a moment and came back in with a five legged stool and a ragged looking old wizard's hat. All of a sudden, the hat burst into song.  
  
"Gryffindors are Godlier  
  
There is no doubt in that  
  
Our heads are high up in the clouds  
  
And we strut around like cats  
  
Those ever sinning-Slytherins  
  
Are gonna wind up down,  
  
They always bully, they always brag,  
  
And they always smirk and frown.  
  
When talking with the Ravenclaws,  
  
We find their conversations dull  
  
Their brains are far too large we fear  
  
For their tiny little skulls  
  
And of course the Hufflepuffs  
  
Are easy to forget  
  
They won't amount to anything  
  
But are fun to keep as pets  
  
And so in brief conclusion  
  
As I'm sure you see  
  
If it were your choice to make  
  
A Gryffindor you'd be!  
  
Once the song was finished, and the gap that had opened up around the brim closed, a table at the far left of the hall burst out in applause. Remus guessed that this was the Gryffindor table. He marveled at the fact that the hat was allowed to be so biased, but he figured that it must have a certain alliance to Gryffindor or something. Before he could ask Peter about where the hat came from, Professor McGonagall had pulled out a long scroll that reached the ground and began calling out names. The first person Remus recognized was one of the black haired boys who had been so rude. "Black, Sirius" Professor McGonagall called, and the boy with the neatly combed hair almost swaggered to the stool. Remus exchanged a glance with Peter, and when Ashley began to ask, he whispered that he'd explain it later. Black to Remus and Peter's disgust was sorted into Gryffindor ("he doesn't deserve it!" Peter muttered under his breath"). Soon after, Lily was called, and she sat nervously down onto the stool. It only took the few seconds to decide her fate before it called out "Gryffindor!" Remus clapped loudly, happy that Lily had been sorted where she wanted. After Ashley was also placed into Gryffindor, Remus found himself very badly wanting to join them. After all, he told himself, two of my new friends are there!  
But he hardly had time to get this thought out before, "Lupin, Remus" was called. His heart gave a small jolt as he walked up to the stool and sat down.  
As the hat was placed over his eyes, he heard a small voice in his ear. Ah, our very first werewolf. Welcome to Hogwarts, I knew Dumbledore would pass that law! But where should I put you? I'm sure you should be in Slytherin, because of your specialty, no, don't worry boy, it isn't a bad thing. Remus was shocked; apparently, the hat could read his thoughts! Yes, boy, I can see everything you are thinking, right down to your lust after that Kemp girl I just placed. The hat chuckled to itself. I'm sure you're dying to join her, and indeed, your sense of adventure and daring is quite obvious. I see you also love the good joke, like Mr. Black. Remus thought his disgust at being compared to Sirius. Obviously, the hat noticed. I see, well, even so, I think you would definitely do best in GRYFFINDOR!  
Remus could swear his heart had skipped a beat. He grinned widely as the hat was lifted from his head, and he walked over to the Gryffindor, where he sat down next to Ashley. Half and hour later, the ceremony had finished, and Peter was seated next to him. Unfortunately, James Potter, the other black haired boy was also seated at their table, and was currently conversing with Sirius. They both kept looking over to the farthest table, which was apparently the Slytherin table. Remus followed their gaze to a greasy haired boy who had just been sorted there. He wasn't sure, but he didn't think that "Snape, Severus" looked like the type of person he should cross. He made a mental note of this, and then tucked it away, because Dumbledore had finished warning the students to stay away from a recent addition to the Hogwarts grounds, the Whomping Willow, which Remus knew had been put there for his use during the full moon.  
The tree had been put in the entrance of a secret tunnel that led to a small shack in the village of Hogsmeade. Both the tunnel and the shack had been built for Remus to use so that he would not harm anyone when he transformed. But Dumbledore had finished giving other warnings, and a delicious looking feast appeared on the platters and dished in front of them. Remus dug in, forgetting everything else on his mind. 


	4. Fudge and Malice

The Last of the Four- Chapter 3  
  
Fudge and Malice  
  
By Lillian Evans  
  
The next morning, Remus awoke feeling very well rested for the first time in days. He yawned, stretched and pulled apart the crimson hangings that surrounded his bed. The first thing he saw was the face of Peter staring at him.  
  
"I've been up for hours. Breakfast is nearly over! We need to go! Classes start today!" Peter dragged the groggy Remus out of bed and thrust robes into his chest. Remus changed quickly, and allowed Peter to pull him down to the Great Hall. As soon as he smelled the bacon and eggs, he immediately piped up. He sat down at the Gryffindor table and smiled at Ashley when she passed him his new schedule.  
  
"We have Defense Against the Dark Arts first. With Professor Fudge." She said as he took the schedule.  
  
Lily looked up with a confused look on her face. "Isn't Fudge in the ministry?"  
  
Ashley shrugged, so Peter answered:  
  
"Yeah, but that's Cornelius," he said, " I think this is his sister or something. I saw her earlier at breakfast when you were still asleep. Oh, wow, we'd better go, we have class in 15 minutes."  
  
Remus had barely eaten half of his food before he was pulled off his seat. He grabbed his bag and ran after Peter and Ashley. They chose seats in the front, so that they could be sure and hear their professor. They had just gotten into a big debate over which broomstick was better, the Comet series, or the Cleansweep series, when Professor Fudge walked in. She looked nothing like the pictures of her brother they had seen in the Daily Prophet. She was tall and thin with shoulder length auburn hair held back with a navy blue elastic band. Sirius whistled, and Remus rolled his eyes. Fudge heard the whistle and turned abruptly to look at Sirius, who's lips had frozen in their whistling position.  
  
"You, boy, what is your name?" asked Professor Fudge in a voice that was neither sweet nor sour.  
  
"Uh- Sirius Black, ma'am."  
  
Remus sniggered; he knew Black was worried under the brave face he put on.  
  
"Well, Mr. Black, I will have you know that I will not tolerate disrespect in my classroom. Do you understand?" Sirius nodded, his face still blank, "Good, then just to make sure you do, I think we'll take 5 points from Gryffindor. Now, is everyone ready to begin our lesson?"  
  
Forty-five minutes later, Remus left the room feeling even happier than he had after his bacon and eggs. First of all, Fudge obviously didn't approve of Sirius and James' jokes, and second, she saw that Remus knew his stuff about fighting the dark arts. Needless to say, defense against the dark arts quickly became Remus' favorite class.  
  
Their next class of the day was potions, and Remus wasn't looking forward to this class as much. The classroom was down in the dungeon, and according to the older students, Professor Malfoy was the meanest teacher in the school. Potions also happened to be their first lesson with the Slytherins, and for once Remus agreed with Sirius and James that this was not a good thing.  
  
When they got to the room the Slytherins were already there, and Severus Snape, the greasy haired student Remus had caught sight of at the welcoming feast, was talking with what appeared to be their new teacher, a young- looking, blonde-haired wizard. When he heard the commotion, he looked up. When he saw the Gryffindor students, a sardonic grin appeared on his face.  
  
"Well, it's about time you all got here."  
  
"But, Professor, the late bell hasn't even rung yet!" Came the chorus of Gryffindor voices who had just entered.  
  
"Do I look like I follow that bell schedule? I expect you to be down here five minutes before the bell each day. Since today is your first day, we'll let you off with only 50 points taken off, but you have been warned."  
  
Remus scoffed at this news, but kept his mouth shut. He could tell this was one professor he didn't want to cross. Sirius, however, didn't have the sense to shut up. Or the ability, whichever it was, Remus couldn't tell, but it was too late, for Sirius had already begun his retort.  
  
" Professor, Malfoy, was it? It really doesn't seem fair that you're taking points off of us before you've even set down your rules. I mean, I'm sure we'd arrive on time if we knew the penalty for tardiness."  
  
"And, what is your name boy?" The grin had faded from their Professor's face, replacing itself with a look of malice.  
  
But it wasn't Sirius who answered, although he began, instead it was Snape,  
  
"His name is Sirius Black, Professor, and he wouldn't have come in on time even if he had known the rules."  
  
Black opened his mouth to protest, but Malfoy cut him off, ("Very well then. You see, Mr. Black? You wouldn't have followed the rules even if you had known what they were, so I think we'll take another 25 points for lying to me, and oh, I think we'll make it 25 more for talking back. Now take your seat before I'm forced to take drastic measures."  
  
James and Sirius sat down next to each other, and began talking in low whispers out of the corners of their mouths. Remus knew they were plotting revenge, but on Snape or Malfoy? Lily tugged on his shirtsleeve, and he followed her, Ashley and Peter over to two tables in the far corner of the room, the only seats left. He sat next to Peter, with Lily and Ashley in back of him. The rest of potions didn't go to well either and by the end of it Gryffindor had, thankfully, not lost any more points, but both James and Sirius were assigned detentions, and so, furious, they stormed off at the end of class. Remus didn't care, he had done quite well with the potion they were preparing, and hadn't gotten on the bad side of this new teacher. He wasn't exactly on the good side either, but he was definitely much better off than either James or Sirius, which didn't say much but was a start. He had also began to utterly loathe Snape.  
  
The rest of the day went quite well. In transfiguration, Remus turned out a very nice needle from his matchstick, and earned back 10 of the 105 points Gryffindor had lost. After that came charms, in which Remus excelled. The levitating charm they were doing was easy, and Remus raised his feather before anyone else in the class, even James, who, despite being quite the troublemaker, had proven to be an excellent wizard.  
  
Day by day, week by week, Remus' time at Hogwarts flew by. Before he knew it, the next full moon had crept up on him. The day before his transformation, Dumbledore called him into his office.  
  
"I suspect you know why I've asked you to come here. I'm sure you are aware that the full moon is tomorrow, and I would like to go over the plans."  
  
Remus nodded, and sat down in a chair Dumbledore gestured towards.  
  
"You will miss all of your classes tomorrow, as I'm sure you are aware that the effects of your transfiguration can begin at any point during the day. Don't worry," Dumbledore added, when he saw the look on Remus' face, "I have told your teachers only as much as they need to know. After breakfast, you are to report to Madam Pomfrey. You will wait out the day there, and you will be fed lunch and dinner in the hospital wing. After you finish your dinner, Madam Pomfrey and I will lead you down to the Whomping Willow and through the tunnel to the shack. Madam Pomfrey will be back to get you in the morning, she will take you back to the hospital wing for another day, where you can recover. Feel free to do anything you like while you are in the shack, the furniture is at your disposal, but I must stress the fact that you may not, under any circumstance, leave the house. You must promise me that you WILL NOT LEAVE!"  
  
"I promise, professor."  
  
"Good, in that case, any further questions?"  
  
"Just one. What should I tell my friends?"  
  
Dumbledore chuckled, "I was wondering when that would come up. Tell them whatever you like, I'll leave that up to you, now, off to bed, you need your rest."  
  
Remus left the office and walked slowly back to the tower all the way thinking about what he could tell Peter, Lily and Ashley.  
  
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A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter...Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers... you guys rock! Oh, and also, I've posted this on my review board, but I think it needs to be said in the actual story...my sorting hat song from chapter 2 is my own creation, and I've created two others using the basic format, but changing the points of view to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. I will include these later, and I'm planning to contact the author of a Slytherin song to ask if I can use it...I myself am actually a die hard Slytherin, and I absolutely loathe Gryffindors, so I'm weird like that, but I decided that since my characters were going to be put in Gryffindor in that particular sorting, I might as well start with that song...my apologies to all anti- Gryffindors like myself, you shall find your comeuppance!  
  
Oh, and sorry sorry sorry, a million times sorry I took so long in posting! My grammar was all wrong, and I couldn't get a beta.finally one of my friends took on the job.thank you VieVie!!  
  
-Love Lillian 


	5. A Life of Lies

The Last of the Four- chapter 4  
  
A Life of Lies  
  
By Lillian Evans  
  
For the first time since he could remember, Remus wasn't afraid of his upcoming transformation when he awoke the morning of the full moon. He walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast with Peter, Ashley, and Lily, still debating with himself as to what he should tell them. The truth would be easier to keep track of, but they would probably desert him as soon as they found out what he was.  
"So, Remus, what did Dumbledore want last night?" Ashley asked him when they got to the Great Hall and sat down. She had become the unofficial starter of conversation at breakfast, although this was mostly due to the fact that she was the most awake in the morning. To this particular question, Remus tensed unnoticeably. Here we go, he thought, it's now or never!  
He took a deep breath and began; still unsure himself of what he was going to say. "He, erm, just wanted to know, uh, how my first week went." He lied quickly. "And I told him it was great, and that I was really enjoying myself. Pass the bacon, please Pete."  
When they had finished breakfast, they walked out of the Great Hall, towards History of Magic.  
"Uh, guys," Remus said, as a lump grew in his throat. They all looked over at him, and he continued. "I, uh, don't feel very well. I have a bad stomachache. I think I need to go to the hospital wing," he finished, adding a fake groan onto the end.  
Ashley patted his arm gently, "I hope you're alright." She said it with a worried expression on her face.  
"I'm sure I'll be fine."  
"You can borrow my notes from class when you get back, so that you won't fall behind." She offered.  
"Er, thanks, Ashley. Well, I'd better be off then."  
"Feel better, pal!" Peter called after him.  
He turned the corner and had walked about 20 feet when-  
"Where you going, Lupin?" James Potter put a hand into his chest, stopping him from moving forward any more."  
"Yeah, Lupin, the history of magic classroom is the other way."  
Remus suppressed a growl, Uh oh, he thought, I need to get away quick, the side effects are starting already! "I was heading for the infirmary, if you must know."  
"Right, you think that, Lupin. We'll see you later, maybe we'll drop by and visit you, and if you aren't there when we stop by, you'll definitely find yourself in the hospital when we're through with you!" Sirius smirked and then whispered something to James, who nodded and laughed. They walked away toward the Great Hall.  
Remus hurried away to the Hospital Wing, anxious not to meet anyone else who would disturb his rising temper.  
  
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He spent the rest of the day sitting in one of the beds reading through the lessons Dumbledore had gotten from his teachers for him to study. Around noon, Madam Pomfrey brought in a tray of meatloaf and pumpkin juice. Remus suddenly felt very hungry, and began eating as soon as the tray was set in front of him. He knew the feeling well, his other side was beginning to show through, and as much as he tried to stop it, the urges would only grow stronger as the day went by. He had read a book once, called (The Adventures of) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that had dealt with one man's struggle to fight off his other side, an evil side. He could see how the werewolf transformation was much the same as this book, although in the book, Dr. Jekyll had created the potion and drank it willingly to transform into his alternate personality. Remus' condition was much different.  
  
Once he had finished the food (which was within a matter of minutes), he lay down in the bed and went to sleep.  
Around 4 o'clock, he awoke to find Madam Pomfrey shaking him vigorously.  
"I know you need your rest, but I let you sleep as long as I could. You'll need to eat your dinner, the headmaster will be here in about half an hour to take you down to the willow." She placed a tray in front of him as she spoke, and a delicious smell of beef stew came wafting up to his nostrils.  
A quarter of an hour later, there was a knock on the door, and Madam Pomfrey went to open it, muttering about how "the headmaster is in a meeting until 15 minutes from now!"  
She opened the door, and Remus could hear two only too familiar voices coming from the other side.  
"We were wondering if we could see Remus Lupin. He told us he was feeling ill this morning, and we just got a chance to drop in to say hello. Is he available?" Came Sirius' voice with a hint of mock concern.  
"It isn't," James' voice gave an overly dramatic gasp, "fatal, is it?"  
"I'm sure it isn't fatal, Mr. Potter, but he isn't allowed any visitors at the moment. I'm afraid what he has is very contagious."  
This is true, thought Remus, one bite and they'd be like me for the rest of their lives. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. He silently thanked Madam Pomfrey for not letting the boys inside. He didn't think he'd be able to control his temper this time. It was too close to moonrise.  
Remus saw two black heads poke around the door, looking around as Madam Pomfrey tried to close the door.  
"I'm sorry, boys, but you'll have to go now."  
"Alright then, so long, Poppy!" Remus heard two sets of feet running down the hall before Madam Pomfrey could respond.  
"Sorry about that, Lupin."  
"It's alright, I was sort of expecting them to drop by."  
"Oh, did you want to see them?"  
"No," came Remus' hasty reply, "thank you for sending them away. We aren't that close.  
Another knock came a few minutes later, and this time it really was Dumbledore.  
"Are you ready, Remus?"  
"As ready as I'll ever be for this." Remus replied with a swift nod.  
He stood up, and walked over to the door. Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder, and led him out the door and down the hall. It all reminded him of the images of the dementors leading prisoners to Azkaban Remus had seen in the papers. The prisoner walking in the middle, his worst fears running through his head, surrounded by dementors on every side. Remus shuddered, and then felt a hand on his shoulder.  
"It's alright, Lupin, you'll be just fine. Professor Dumbledore has it all under control." Came Madam Pomfrey's voice from behind him.  
When they reached the tree, Dumbledore picked up a long stick and poked at a knot near the base of the tree. As soon as the knot was hit, the tree froze, and an opening in the ground was visible. Dumbledore turned to face Remus, whose gaze remained focused on the newly formed hole in the ground.  
"I must leave you now, Remus, as must Madam Pomfrey. We mustn't be around when it comes time for you to transform, and we do not want to cut it too closely. All you need to do is follow the tunnel, and you will find yourself in the house. Someone will be back to get you in the morning. Once again, please stay inside the house!"  
Remus walked through the frozen branches as if they were a veil parting his two lives. On one side he had his life with his friends, working hard and having fun, on the other side lay his life of lies, which came out once a month. As he climbed into the tunnel, he looked back at Dumbledore and Pomfrey's retreating backs, the last lines of connection between his two sides. 


	6. The Best Medicine

The Last of the Four Chapter 5 The Best Medicine By Lillian Evans  
  
Remus got no sleep the night of his transformation, and so by the time Madam Pomfrey had come to collect him the next morning, he was feeling very sleepy indeed. Once she had brought him back up to the castle, Madam Pomfrey told him to drink what looked like a mud potion, but turned out to be a chocolate milkshake.  
"Chocolate is the best medicine"; Madam Pomfrey smiled at Remus. "Always remember that, Lupin. Now, what else can I do for you? Any scratches?"  
Remus nodded and rolled up the left sleeve of his arm, revealing a long cut from his wrist nearly to his elbow. Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue sympathetically. She didn't need to ask where it had come from. She pulled her wand out of her robe pocket and muttered some spell Remus couldn't hear. A jet of blue light hit Remus' arm and the pain, and the cut, vanished.  
"Thanks," he muttered, still marveling at the rapidity of the healing, "You know, you would make a great healer at St. Mungo's."  
"Thank you, my boy, but dealing with students is hard enough. Lie back and close your eyes now, you look very tired. I'll be in my office, you just call me if you need me."  
She pulled the white curtains around his bed, and Remus lay back into the pillows, almost immediately falling into a deep sleep.  
It was such deep sleep in fact, that he didn't wake up until well past dinnertime. Remus suspected that his rude awakening probably had something to do with the fact that his stomach was growling very loudly. A few minutes later, Madam Pomfrey hustled up, carrying a tray of something that was giving off a delicious smell.  
"Thank goodness you're awake! I was about to come and wake you. I've brought you some food, you must be starving! Feeling any better?"  
Remus simply nodded, his mouth too full of the roast chicken to do much else.  
"Good. Oh! I nearly forgot, I promised Professor Dumbledore I would let him know when you awoke. He was in to check on you around 1 o'clock. I'll be back in a minute, Lupin."  
By the time Remus had finished the chicken and potatoes, Madam Pomfrey had returned with Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled at the boy, who smiled back.  
"How are you feeling?"  
"Much better, sir."  
"Good. I trust everything when smoothly last night?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"And are you ready to return to your common room now that you've been able to catch upon some sleep?"  
"Professor, I must insist that the boy stay here for another night. He is still behind on his sleep, and I daresay his friends will keep him awake well into the night," Madam Pomfrey interrupted.  
"This is true, Poppy, however, I think Remus should be the one to make the choice."  
"But Professor," Madam Pomfrey began exasperatedly.  
"Remus? What do you think?" Dumbledore looked over at Remus, his blue eyes twinkling merrily in the candlelight.  
"I think that Madam Pomfrey is right, Professor Dumbledore, sir. I think my fr- the people in my dorm would keep me awake." Remus didn't think Peter would keep him awake, but was sure that Sirius and James would have a lot of tricky questions to avoid.  
"Alright then. Poppy, would you please make sure Remus makes it down to breakfast in the morning? We wouldn't want him to be late for any classes. Pleasant dreams, Remus." Dumbledore stood up and left the room with a swish of his cloak, the door closing softly behind him.  
Breakfast the next morning was difficult to manage, as it was apparently known to all of the Gryffindors that Remus had spent the previous few days in the hospital wing.  
"But when we came down to say hello, Madam Pomfrey told us you were spending the night elsewhere. We were really worried about you, but she said it would be fine, and you'd be back soon." Ashley had told him after Remus had said he had been in the infirmary the past few days.  
Remus nodded in response, and didn't say anything. Instead, he began to butter his toast. He hadn't thought that lying to his friends could be so difficult. He had lied to his muggle friends often enough, but he supposed he didn't share as much of a bond with them, as he did with his Hogwarts friends.  
"Oh, I nearly forgot! Here are the class notes from the past few days"; Ashley reached into her bag and pulled out a thick stack of parchment. "You chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill."  
  
****** 


	7. Slips and Sparks

The Last of the Four- Chapter 6  
  
Slips and Sparks By Lillian Evans  
  
The following months went by without incident for Remus and his friends. Christmas had come and gone (Remus went to his parents' house) as did several full moons. Remus continued to think up excuses for his disappearances, saying different relatives had died or fallen ill. Everything was going great up through the end of the school year.  
  
He made his first near-slip up in May when all of the first years were sitting around the common room one evening, preparing for the upcoming exams. He and Peter were sitting next to the fire, and Remus was explaining some Transfiguration concepts to Peter, who wasn't the smartest student ever.  
"Understand it now, Peter?" Remus asked his friend when they began packing up.  
"I think so," Peter responded, and was about to continue when they were cut off by high pitched laughter from right behind them.  
"That's right, I heard there'd be a bed opening in your dorm next year, after Pettigrew flunked out."  
Both boys turned their heads around to look at who had made the comment. Standing behind their chairs, her arms folded across her chest and a smirk on her face stood a third year girl named Tepyd. Well, that was her last name. She was quite amused to tell anyone who asked that someone had coughed during her sorting so no one knew her first name. Then she'd punch the person for bothering her with stupid questions. No one knew why she was placed in Gryffindor. They all agreed she belonged with the Slytherins, especially since she enjoyed their company so much, especially Bellatrix Black.  
"What do you want with us, Tepyd?" Remus asked, his face remaining very calm.  
"Where were you last Wednesday, Lupin? You weren't in the common room all day."  
Remus froze up at the mention of his disappearance. The previous Wednesday had, of course, been the full moon, and he had forgotten which excuse he had been using this month to explain his disappearance. Fortunately, Peter had been paying attention.  
"His grandfather was sick. He had to go home."  
"Did Lupin have to explain to you what a grandfather is?" Far from asking how Remus's grandfather was feeling, Tepyd jumped right back with another insult; "That's all you do, isn't it Pettigrew? Just attach onto someone smarter than you? Just suck up to the most powerful person you can, does that work for you?"  
Peter closed his mouth and looked down at his lap. Remus put an arm around his shoulder.  
"Peter is one of the best friends anyone could ask for. And I don't think you can say anything about how one chooses their friends. You know Bellatrix Black is one of the worst witches in your year."  
"Yeah, well you had better watch your back, Lupin. Your friend choice isn't much better- two mudbloods and a near squib? I have to go. My friends are waiting, and while Bellatrix may not be the smartest, her sister's boyfriend could blow you to smithereens." She sneered at the boys once more and turned to strut out the door.  
"Mind the step down on your way out!" Remus called after her. Tepyd glared over her shoulder at him, the result of which sent her toppling over the step out of Gryffindor tower.  
Once she left, the entire room was silent, and all heads were turned toward Remus and Peter. Remus looked around the room, and slowly everyone went back to what they were doing. Ashley and Lily came over, and Ashley help up her hand for a high five. Remus slapped it.  
"That was wonderful, Remus! You too, Peter!" Lily beamed at them.  
Peter was still staring at his lap. Remus clapped a hand on his shoulder.  
"Hey Pete," he said in a gentle voice, "we know you don't stick around for the homework help. That's just a benefit!" Remus grinned, and Peter finally smiled.  
"We, uh, hate to interrupt this love fest, "no one had noticed Sirius and James come up behind them.  
"Can we help you, James?" Remus asked politely, the grin on his face remaining, but his eyes flashing slightly.  
"Actually Lup- er Remus, if I may, we came to congratulate you." James told the stunned quartet. His eyes were no longer on Remus, but he was looking at Lily.  
"My cousin is a pain too," Sirius said, "and she is one of the stupidest in her class, but my parents, well, most of my family love her, mainly because she followed the family tradition and got landed in Slytherin." Sirius shrugged; "my folks are ready to disown me because I'm here."  
"If I may ask," Remus began, nearly warming up to the pair, "why are you here?"  
"I'm different;" Sirius responded simply.  
"So are we," Remus told him. "But that didn't seem to phase you when you first met us.  
"Thought you were a muggle." James shrugged.  
"That isn't what I'm talking about and you know it. Why'd you pick on Peter?"  
"Ok, we'll admit we haven't always been the nicest guys around, but cut us some slack, would you? At least we're here and not down in the dungeons with the slime balls."  
"Look, all we want are some good friends. In case you hadn't noticed, all we have right now is each other. We realised we needed some other friends."  
"As long as you'll be friends with all of us, and not leech off of another of us information you need." Remus was the first to respond, although this was to be expected, as he was usually accepting of everyone.  
"Remus!" Lily was outraged, as was Ashley. "You can't just let them barge in here like that! Not after the way they've treated us before now!"  
"Ash, don't worry! They won't replace you!" Remus whispered hurriedly to her. "The least we can do is give it a chance. They apologized, alright?"  
"I don't believe you two! Come on, Lily, let's get out of here." Ashley pulled Lily up by the arm and the two girls left the circle.  
Remus looked up at James, who was watching Lily leave with a glazed over look in his eyes.  
"Sorry. We didn't mean to break up the close-knit group you guys had going. You just always have to much fun together. We were jealous."  
"It's ok," Peter shrugged, "they'll get over it. We fight all the time."  
Remus looked more apprehensive about the situation though. "Look, you guys, I'm going to go over there and talk to them."  
By "them", Peter knew he was referring to Ashley, but he didn't say anything, just watched Remus go.  
"Either of you good at chess? I've been looking for someone to teach me. I'm not good at all," he said after Remus had gone.  
  
~**~  
  
A/N: Thank you thank you thank you to my dear friend DeZot, who got me off of my lazy arse and up and writing again *hugs*.I do promise, however, that new chapter of *some* fic will be up before the moon is again full.which I do believe is coming up soon.but I do have a rather big musical to stage manage for (ok, *assistant* stage manage for, but still) that's coming up at the end of the month.anyway, hugs to my reviewers, and farewell!! 3 Lillian 


	8. Belgian Waffles and Mysterious Smiles

The Last of the Four- Chapter 7  
  
Belgian Waffles and Mysterious Grins By Lillian Evans  
  
The next weeks of Remus's life were taken up by, first studying for his end of the year exams, and then taking the exams. Although many upper classmen had taunted them that Hogwarts exams were very difficult, Remus found that the only even moderately difficult exam was potions. And what with the glaring eyes of Professor Malfoy, that just made it even worse, but he managed to survive, and when grades were posted a few days later on the common room bulletin board, he joined the celebration with the rest of his friends, having passed all of his classes with excellent marks.  
After the partying had died out, the common room floor was littered with candy wrappers and empty butterbeer bottles. Only Remus, Peter, Ashley, Lily, James and Sirius sat in the room after everyone had gone to bed. Remus sat on the high backed chair in front of the fire, Ashley on the armrest of this chair, Peter on the rug in front of the fire, Sirius draped across another chair, and James and Lily sitting on opposite ends of the couch. James kept glancing shyly over at Lily, who looked over at Ashley and rolled her eyes each time he did so. Ashley would just giggle and slide her eyes over to Remus. He would smile, and she'd blush ever so slightly. Sirius just sat sideways in his chair, his back against the armrest, and an arm dangling over the armrest behind his back, a butterbeer bottle held loosely in his fingertips.  
They sat there discussing what they were doing that summer, each of them spilling their different family woes, making promises that each would contact the others over their two month break.  
Lily's family were going to Majorca for a week and Ashley's were taking her to Paris. Sirius was regretting going home, so James offered to let him spend the summer at his house. Sirius accepted jovially, and the boys began talking gleefully about what they could do.  
"Oughtn't you check with your mum first, James?" Lily interrupted as they made plans to play quidditch each night.  
  
The end of term came quickly, as things tend to do when you dread them, and Remus found himself packing his trunk to return home. The morning of their departure, everyone met up in the common room, and walked down to Hogsmeade Station together. They found an empty compartment on the train, and spent the ride playing exploding snap. When they got home, they each found their parents and, after saying their final farewells, walked through the barrier and started for home in their various methods of transportation.  
  
*****  
  
Remus sighed he walked around the kitchen, trying to find the ingredients for Sirius's favorite cake. It was his birthday tomorrow, and-  
Remus stopped, his hand midway in his reach for the sugar container, and withdrew his hand from the cupboard. He felt a tear fall slowly down his cheek. He had been so wrapped up in his memories from first year that he had completely forgotten about that day a few weeks past. He saw the room in his head, crowded with people, the image that haunted his dreams. He saw Sirius fighting Bellatrix, the red beam of light that his Sirius in the back, the laughter in Sirius's eyes as his head disappeared from sight, then his chest, his legs, falling slowly into the archway until the last part of his foot slipped beyond the graying piece of cloth.  
Remus stumbled over to a kitchen chair and sat down, leaning his elbows on the table and putting his forehead in his hands. His shoulders shook as the tears spilled. He sat there for a half an hour or so, the images from that night playing like a movie reel through his head. It wasn't until the doorbell rang that he moved from the spot.  
He stood up and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. He knew his eyes and nose were still red, but he didn't care. When he reached the door, he opened it, and saw Tonks staring back at him.  
"Wotcher, Wolvie! How ya doin'?" She greeted him using her nickname she had created for him when she found out he was a werewolf. Then she saw his eyes, and her look of jubilation disappeared. "Remus, what's the matter?"  
Remus stepped aside and let her come in. She led him over to the sofa, and sat him down.  
"You've been thinking about Sirius again, haven't you?"  
He nodded, and told her that he had been remembering stuff from his first year.  
"Well, I have the perfect remedy for that. I'm making you dinner." She smiled at him, flashing him one of her most mysterious smiles.  
"What're you making? I didn't know you could cook." He raised an eyebrow, "and I'd rather have my kitchen, not a pile of ashes."  
"Funny, Wolvie. And you'll see when its ready. Although I'll admit, its not the most widely thought of dinner food."  
  
*****  
  
An hour later, they were sitting at the kitchen table, a pile of Belgian waffles between them, and a small bowl of Lucky Charms in front of each of them.  
"I still can't believe the only thing you know how to cook is Belgian waffles and Lucky Charms;" Remus chuckled.  
"Hey, what can you cook?"  
"Plenty of things. I'll show you sometime."  
"Anyway, you were going to tell me what Hogwarts was like back in your years? Tell me about your second year."  
"I was only graduated six years before you. I'm not that old, Tonks. And anyway, it wasn't that exciting, I-"  
"Tell me," she urged, putting her hand on his shoulder, "I want to hear about it."  
"Alright, well, I was friends with Lily, James, Peter, and Sirius of course, as well as this girl named Ashley. We didn't get to see each other over the summer, or at least I didn't get to. Things just didn't work out. But we caught up on the train. Nothing really happened until about a month or two into the school year. Around the time of the first Hogsmeade visit."  
"So what happened then?"  
Remus started the tale of his second year at Hogwarts, amused that she was this enthusiastic and interested about his life.  
  
A/N: The title of this chapter is dedicated to my dear friend Carter. He didn't know what a mysterious grin looked like so it sparked an interesting discussion. We also discussed Belgian waffles, and how he had never had one. We decided that Mysterious Grins and Belgian Waffles would make an excellent chapter title, so I worked it in. The Lucky Charms I would like to dedicate to the SS Wotcher Wolvie, one of the most marvelous ships on the seas. 


End file.
